A Cold Fire Burns
by NiceIceEdward
Summary: Bella helps one of the Cullen's when he returns home early from a hunting trip with a problem.
1. Chapter 1

_****A/N: This is a non-canon pairing, if you're looking for Edward/Bella, you won't find it in this One-shot! I wrote it for my own amusement, but thought I'd post it for a few others to take a look at too. =) Enjoy & review. ~Happy New Year~ -Nie****_

**A Cold Fire Burns**

I was lying on Edward's bed, alone, when the door slammed, and the house shook. I shot up into a sitting position, my breath caught in my throat. I heard a vicious, ear-shattering and terrifying snarl ring through the walls. I could tell by the sounds of it that it was coming from downstairs, but it sounded as if it were in the room with me. My heart pounded and raced in my chest, my pulse flew through my veins, I could hear it in my ears. There was a deep growl which had a strange tone to it, it sounded frustrated, and then I heard his voice, "DAD!" He bellowed, and in that tiny second I felt my entire body collapse with relief, I fell back against the mattress and chuckled to myself. For that one moment, I had thought something huge and horrible had entered the house of my new family. He _was _very huge, but he was no more horrible than I was.

"DAD?!" He bellowed again, though questioningly this time. "ESME! ANYONE?!" I got up and walked across the floor, I heard another snarl from downstairs, then his voice again, "BELLA, Thank God, I need help!" he reached the bedroom door at the same moment I opened it, he pushed his hulking frame past me into the room growling again, and shot his head back and forth looking for something. He turned around to me, "Do you have any tweezers, or something sharp? Something's stuck in my back and it's driving me crazy."

I looked at him and realized that Emmett Cullen looked every bit as much like the irritable grizzly that Edward had always said was his preferred source of prey. When I laughed Emmett looked at me thunderstruck. "How is this funny?" he asked in a very offended tone.

I worked hastily to rearrange my features into a more compassionate expression. "I'm sorry Emmett, I've just never seen you in such a state. What's stuck in your back, and why can't _you _get it out?"

He frowned and looked a little chagrined, "Well, it's right in the middle and I'm wide enough that I just cant reach it without risking dislocating an arm or something." He snarled slightly again and said, "I've been trying to get it out the whole way home. I came here because I figured Carlisle would be here."

I shook my head, "No, after you, Rosalie, Edward and Jasper left to go hunting, Carlisle, Esme, and Alice decided to go on a shopping trip.

"Ooo, that sounds like fun, why didn't you want to go, little sister?" Emmett said tauntingly to me.

It was no secret that I enjoyed shopping as much as I enjoyed parties for me. For both the answer was; not at all. I raised an eyebrow at him "Do you want me to help you, or would you like to keep making bad jokes at my expense?"

He rolled his eyes and shrugged, "Ok, fine." He motioned to me to come closer so I walked up to him, as I did Emmett reached down and pulled his shirt up, over his head and off. Every muscle in his large, and very well defined chest was exposed to me, as his muscles rippled, stretched and contracted. I couldn't recall having ever seen Emmett shirtless before and the breathtaking expanse before me bore no resemblance to his clothed, overgrown teddybear-ness. His chest was like two formed steel sheets of metal, strong, pale, slightly sparkling in the forest filtered light of the room. My eyes slid appreciatively down his front unintentionally and I gasped and looked gape mouthed at the incredibly defined abs spread above the line of his jeans.

Emmett heard my gasp, and he quirked an eyebrow. "Like what you see Bella?" he asked confidently, and in a teasing voice. He was just always so Emmett.

I closed my mouth and snorted a sarcastic laugh. "Yes Emmett, you're a fabulous example of vampiric architecture. Now, turn around, let's see what's stuck in your back."

Emmett wasn't ready to give up his taunts yet. He lifted his eyebrows and grinned widely. "Are you sure Bella, cause I can stand here and let you gawk at me some more if you want."

I grabbed his arm and pulled him around, if I'd done it to a human, it would have been roughly. As it was, Emmett just allowed me to turn him around, chuckling while he did it.

As he turned he lifted his arms up to clear the top of my head. I was grateful that he was turned away from me, because if he'd seen the look on my face as I saw the plexus muscles of his abdomen, and the muscles beneath his shoulder blades, the taunting would have never ended. As soon as he was entirely turned away from me though, I saw what he was referring to. In almost the exact middle of his back, in the center, just above the sharp points of his massive shoulder blades, was a dark, curved hook which could only be one thing that I could think of. "Emmett, did you by chance wrestle a bear today?"

He tilted his head down to me and raised his eyebrows sarcastically. I chuckled once, "I thought so." I walked over to the bathroom and grabbed a hand towel. The end of the claw had what looked at a slight glance to be some pulpy remains of the poor animal it had been removed from and I wasn't about to touch that with my bare hands or look at it too closely. He watched me walk back over, following my steps, his face oddly expressionless. I stepped behind him and said, "Emmett, can you get on your knees?"

He turned his face sideways grinning again, and waggled his eyebrows suggestively, chuckling deeply, "Will I be prostrating myself before your magnificence tonight?" he said. I'd never heard Emmett say anything so, Edward-like and it shocked me. I spluttered in response and he laughed roundly, the sound echoing off the walls in the small room. "Emmett!" I said sharply.

He chuckled a little more, but mostly managed to keep still. My face was very hot over his ridiculous comments, and I reached up and grasped his shoulder tightly, bracing myself for the pull, while aiming the towel at the claw in his back.. He stilled immediately and moaned. Exasperated I dropped both hands and exhaled loudly. Realizing I was annoyed Emmett turned slightly and looked back at me, again those stupid muscles across his shoulders rippled at me, drawing more of my attention than I wanted them to. "I'm sorry Bella, honestly, it's just that my back is irritated right now, and your hands are hot. It felt kind of soothing.

I was unaware my skin felt hot to them and my eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Oh, well, ok. Turn around then, and hold still." I commanded.

I put my hand gently onto his shoulder this time and merely gripped it. As soon as I touched his shoulder he moaned a little again and goosebumps rippled across my arms. I placed the towel over the claw, making a point of not seeing the end of the claw, and tried to pull on it. It didn't budge at all. I pushed the towel over it a little more securely and got a really good grip on the claw and tried to yank it. I felt it jerk up, but the claw was most certainly lodge in his stone skin, and it wasn't coming out without something to assist me in getting some leverage. I exhaled in annoyance and looked blindly around the room as I tried to think of something to use.

As I stood there I realized suddenly that my right hand was feeling wet. I pulled my hand away to look at it, and there was blood on it, and the towel was soaked through, when I pulled my hand away I could smell it, the blood. I gagged, and backed up. I could feel myself swaying alarmingly, and heard myself making an incoherent sound.

Emmett turned around and saw me going down and with one hand he reached back and grabbed a fist full of my buttoned blouse. He stopped my fall and then stood up and reached back with his other hand and grabbed around my back, then he released my shirt and grabbed me under my legs as my knees buckled.

"Jeez Bella, you're such a wimp." He chuckled as he moved to Edward's bed and set me down on the corner of it. I leaned against one of the iron bedposts, enjoying the feel of the cool metal against my skin. Emmett was standing in front of me, all those chest and stomach muscles lean and tensed infront of me. I kept the tilt of my head away from Emmett, because his shirtless presence honestly wasn't helping me catch my breath at all. Also, he was now standing near enough to me that I could smell him. Edward had been most assuredly correct in saying that he and his kind were perfectly designed for their lifestyle. All of them smelled, and looked incredible. I lifted my hand to cover my face, and mistakenly lifted the bloody one. Oh God, my stomach turned over and I slumped. Emmett leaned down right into my face. "Bella?" he asked.

I looked at him, "Emmett, I need a wet towel, can you get me one?" he pointed behind him at the one I'd been using to grip the claw.

"That one, or a new one?" he asked.

"NO!" I said, a little less kindly than I'd meant to, "A new one." I said in an apologetic tone.

He grinned, "Sure, hang on a sec." He disappeared through the bathroom doorway, I heard the water running and a moment later he came back with a damp washcloth, he had it held up to his nose. "Is this one yours Bella, it smells like you." It was the one I'd washed my face with that morning, which was nothing, but something about the idea of him smelling me on it embarrassed me thoroughly. I blushed deeply and held my hand out. "Yes, it is." I said curtly, jerking it from his hand as soon as he held it out to me.

I used it to wipe my hand clean of the blood and threw it across the room to land on top of the bood-stained towel. "Why doesn't that bother _you _like it does _me_, Emmett?" I asked him in an annoyed tone, nodding in the direction of the towels.

He looked at them, then back at me, "What, the blood?" he asked.

"Yeah, I mean, I know you don''t get woozy but shouldn't it have some effect on you?"

"I can still smell it, but it's not as fresh as it was. I can handle it." he said with a shrug. "Now, what about this thing in my back?" he asked, pointing indiscriminately over his shoulder with his right hand.

I took a deep breath as I started feeling better. I stood up. "I'm going to need something to help me pull that out. I don't have enough strength to budge it. Maybe there's something in the garage we can make it move with? Plyers?" I thought of how little I'd made it move, "Gardening tools?" I ventured.

Emmett did a double take at me as I started to walk by him, "I'm not a tree, Bella."

I tilted my head slightly towards his bare chest, lifted my eyebrows significantly, and snickered, "I beg to differ, Emmet."

He chuckled again as I stepped in front of him and headed out the bedroom door. We walked down to the garage, and once inside I pulled out a stool and made him sit on it. I walked around and randomly pulled drawers open looking for something I could use. I found something which looked more like something that should be used around a fireplace rather than a garage, but decided it would give me the leverage I needed. I walked over to where Emmett was waiting for me. He looked up as he heard me approaching, and his face shifted into a comic look of horror, "What the hell is that?!" He asked.

I laughed, "I have no idea, but I think they'll do the job. Of course if you're afraid, we can always wait for someone to come home." I was surprised to find he actually seemed to consider it for a moment. Emmett Cullen, scared of gardening tools? I giggled a little, and that seemed to change his attitude. He frowned, and straightened his posture into stoic resignation. "No. Do it." he said stiffly.

I walked around behind him again, and eyed the claw, the tangled shred at the end seemed to be getting darker, and it didn't smell so strongly of blood any longer. "Thank God." I whispered.

Emmett jerked his head over his shoulder, "What?" he questioned.

"Stop moving Emmett, I was just thanking the powers that the blood seems to be drying." I replied.

"Oh, yeah, it's dying." he said coldly, and I shuddered. "I said, drying."

Emmett shrugged, "Yeah, that too."

I wrapped what looked to me like two metal teeth around the claw and squeezed down until I was sure I had a good grip, then I used all my strength to pull back and down. There was a clatter and the sound of metal things against hard concrete and next thing I knew I was lying on my back looking up at Emmett who was standing in front of me shaking with laughter and making a pathetic attempt at stifling it with tight lips.

I cut my eyes at him. "Thanks, you could try helping me up instead of laughing at me." He reached an arm down to me and pulled me up. He pulled a little hard and I landed against his chest, putting my hands up before me to cushion my landing. As soon as my hands touched his skin Emmett grunted and looked into my eyes. His eyelids drooped slightly and a grin threatened the corners of his mouth.

He wrapped his hands around my wrists and held them there for a moment, "Your skin is so hot, Bella." He lifted his eyes a little wider, but his expression remained serene, otherwise. "Would you just lay them on my shoulders for a little while, it would feel," he looked up towards the sky and one eyebrow lifted, as if he was considering the right word. When he found it, he looked back down at me, "nice."

I stepped back when he released my hands, "Sure, um, I think I ought to put something over that shouldn't I? I mean, it left a hole in your skin."

"I don't need medicine Bella, my skin is like rock." He explained.

"I know that." I answered defensively. "It just doesn't seem right to leave it open to the elements that way." I added.

He chuckled for a moment again, and then shook his head and walked past me into the house. As I headed for the door back into the house after him, an oil can by the door caught my attention. Getting an idea, I hopped quickly through the door after Emmett. "Emmett, go in the kitchen and sit backwards on a chair there, I'll be down in a moment, I just need to grab something. I went upstairs and grabbed the tiny bottle of Vitamin E oil I'd bought to help a scar from one of my many graceful maneuvers heal, and then hopped back downstairs to the kitchen. I grabbed a mug out of one of the cupboards and put a cup of water in the microwave for three minutes. When it beeped, I removed a bubbling, steaming cup of hot water from inside. I grabbed the tiny bottle of oil and dropped it in. After a couple of minutes I picked the cup up and walked over to the table with it.

I set the cup of water on the table, holding the bottle in my hand. It was very warm and I thought that might work. I put it into my hands, it was almost uncomfortably warm, but after squirting it into my hand I immediately began distributing it over Emmett's back. As I rubbed my hands in every direction over his back, Emmett moaned loudly, almost embarrrassingly.

"What is _that_?" he asked in an almost reverential tone, and melting into a slumped posture.

I chuckled, "I'm giving your back a hot oil treatment."

"Rose does that to her hair."

"Yeah, it's for dry, dead things." I said teasingly.

"Hey! Don't think I'm above finding some way to embarrass you!" he threatened, tensing up.

"It was a joke Emmett, relax." I said in a soothing tone. I put more oil on my hands and laid them across his shoulders, causing him to moan again. I smiled and said, "Is that working well?"

Even from behind, I could see his cheeks raise up, and his eyes crinkle in the corners as he smiled. "Yes, almost too good." he said. "It's strange, my back is so warm right now, but my front's normal. The oil seems to keep the warmth a little bit. You wouldn't be able to tell, but I can."

Before I really gave it thought, my concern took over my better judgement and I heard myself asking, "Oh, do you want some on your front too?" As soon as I'd said them, I instantly regretted my words. I gasped in embarrassment and blushed strongly.

He turned to me and grinned, "Well, since you're offerring, sure." He said with far more mischievous pleasure than I thought strictly necessary.

I huffed slightly, but decided that if I was able to rub the oil across his back without any trouble, surely I could manage to rub some onto his front. I poured some out into my hand and moved around in front of him, while he helpfully straightened up. I'm sure I'd have been fine from the very first moment, if Emmett hadn't decided to give me the look he did. As I stepped around before him, Emmett grinned wickedly and raised an eyebrow again. It made me self conscious and I blushed while I rubbed the oil across his skin. His chest muscles were right in front of me, now in addition to their rippling, they were shining with the glistening oil. I rubbed the oil all over his front, down his chest, and got it across the bulging muscles of his stomach without anything more than my own private mortification at the expression he wore throughout it. I was standing in front of him, still warm cheeked with embarrassment when I looked up at him.

When I looked Emmett right in the eyes his grin dropped, and that half-lidded look returned. He unexpectedly reached up and swiped across his own chest with his right hand and rubbed the oil on his hand across the open neckline of my blouse, above the tank I wore underneath. "It doesn't make you sparkle, but it makes you shine." Emmett said in a tone I'd never heard before. He reached out with his right hand and picked up the bottle of hot oil from the cup where I'd placed it to re-warm. Holding it in his hand, he looked into my eyes again, "Can I return the favor?" he asked, that tone still in his voice."

I backed away a step from him, "What do you mean?" I asked uncertainly.

"Can I put some on your back? You should feel how nice it feels too." he said in hardly more than a whisper.

"I don't, I, no, I'm fine Emmett. I just wanted to make sure something was protecting the hole left on your back." I breathed. He stood then and I realized as they moved up with him, that my hands were still on his stomach. I started to pull them away and Emmett's hand was suddenly over them. "No, don't take them away unless you're going to turn around and let me put some of this stuff on your back too."

Emmett actually looked into my eyes. In a deep, vibrating tone that I could feel in my hands, and which made goose flesh ripple across my arms, he said, "Trust me."

I was locked in his gaze as he reached the hand that had been covering mine forward to my shirt. He undid my buttons, slowly with one hand. My heart was racing. He undid them one at a time, moving down my bodice until he'd opened the last button. The whole time we looked at each other eye to eye as the raggedness of my breathing increased. I couldn't ever remember seeing Emmett this serious before.

With one hand he dropped the oil back into the warmed water. He used the other to drag his fingers upwards; across my stomach, across the rise of my shirt, between my breasts, and trailed his fingers across my chest to my collar bone where he pushed one side of my blouse off my shoulder until it slid down to the crook of my elbow. then still trailing his fingers, he moved over to my other collar bone and pushed the blouse off my other shoulder. He dragged his hand slowly back over to the first shoulder he'd uncovered and cupped his hand over my upper arm. He rubbed his thumb back and forth across the skin of my shoulder twice before gently pulling forward and turning me around. He grasped the collar of my shirt and pulled it off my arms once I had my back to him.

He laid my blouse gently across the back of a chair. I heard the sound of a chair being moved behind me, then he moved one before me, "Sit down this way, so your back's open."

I sat down, straddled across the chair, with my back facing him as he'd asked. I heard the chair behind me move again, and felt Emmett's knees against my hips. My pulse raced and my breathing was so loud I almost felt ridiculous, until I realized I could hear Emmett's too.

A moment later his hands covered my back with the oil on them. It wasn't much, just enough to allow his hands to glide gently across my skin. He touched me softly, delicately, like he was afraid if he squeezed too hard, or used too much pressure he might break me, which I realized was probably the case.

His husky and decidedly un-brotherly voice asked, "Can I pull your straps down, so I can reach more of your back?" I was beyond speech, I answered by dropping my hands in a completely submissive way. He pulled it down much the way he had with the blouse, but this time leaving my tank top pooled around my hips. Only my powder blue lace bra impeded his access to my back now. I felt the closure snap and instead of being able to breathe easier, I suddenly could breathe at all. I heard silence from Emmett, he too, was no longer breathing either.

His hand returned to gliding across the skin of my back gently. He moved them like tiny whispers across my upper back, ribs and waist, after a few moments I felt him slide forward on his chair, I felt his legs wrapped around me from behind, I was breathing again, but so shallowly, I felt both of his hands wrap around my upper shoulders and pull me back against him. My bare skin against his made me gasp, his right hand travelled from my right shoulder to my neck, his fingers wrapped around my neck and my chin, and he turned my head and pulling cautiously, slightly he tilted my head, exposing the back of my neck I felt his lips on the joining spot between my shoulder and my neck.

The sensation of his lips was the end of any struggle for me, I couldn't control myself anymore, I pressed my back against his chest, reveling in the sensation of our skin sliding against each others, his coldness against my warm skin. His lips on my throat became more insistent and his hand fell from my throat and wrapped around my waist, while his other hand wrapped across my shoulders, and pulled me back against him. His lips moved up my neck to just below my ear, then my chin and I turned my head, his lips crushed down on mine and my lips parted, his parted and our tongues slid together.

Suddenly I was no longer straddling the chair, Emmett dragged me up and turned me so quickly its a wonder I didn't get whiplash. He pulled me against him and I could feel the oil on my skin. His hands wrapped around my back, One around the back of my neck holding my face to his, the other gripping the back of my hip and pulling me into him. Suddenly he stood up using his one hand to keep my legs wrapped around him, while I wrapped my arms around his neck, unwilling to release this new feeling. He laid me across the kitchen table. He slid me back, an easy thing to do with the oil on us..and suddenly he was on top of me on the table. He held himself cautiously above me, and there was still a certain delicacy in the way he touched me, but his hips were completely unforgiving thrusting against me, from between my legs. I lifted my hips against him and I reached my hand down and grabbed a fist full of his jeans and pulled forward against me. Emmett was at my neck again, and with my mouth released I moaned audibly. I felt Emmett's hand slide down my side as he pulled my hips against his as much as I was pulling against his. He reached between us and unbuttoned my pants, he was in the process of unzipping them when we heard someone clear their throat.

Emmett and I both froze In mid-kiss, without pulling away from each other. The only movement was the ragged and shaking breaths we were both taking, mine for necessity, his by choice. We sat that way for a solid few seconds before the voice said, "One of two things can happen here, I can join in, and mind you, the possibility does have its tempting merit, but I think might be an unwise decision at this precise moment in time. _Or_, you two can, well, make yourselves decent before Edward and Rosalie walk in here in a few minutes, which would be my recommendation." Somewhere in my twisted, guilty and warped mind I realized I was relieved it was Jasper who caught us. Emmett crawled backwards off me, and pulled me up with him. We both looked into Jasper's widely grinning face. He looked at my blood red face, and Emmett's mortified expression and chuckled, "Well that was interesting children, we'll have to play that game again sometime, won't we." and chuckling he turned to walk away. Emmett spoke then, "Jas-"

But Jasper cut him off with a turn, holding up his hand to stop him. He lifted his head up imperiously for a moment, then smiling and lowering his head, looked at us mischievously from beneath his brows, "I'll never tell," he said simply, and walked away. Emmett and I both ran upstairs, I showered in Edward's bathroom. When I came out, Emmett had gone out, saying he needed to finish hunting. Edward said in an off-hand, distracted way, "Oh, he said you helped him today."

"Oh, um, yeah." I said, as I turned away, and moved quickly into the closet, pretending to search for a sweater, to cover my blush.

_****A/N: This was the original ending of this story, it began as a one-shot, but after multiple reviews by readers requesting I continue it, I added two more chapters. Please enjoy them & review. Thank you. ****_


	2. Chapter 2

There were moments when I felt as though something had happened to me which could never be understood.

First there was Edward. I'd never completely accepted that I'd done anything to deserve him. He was beautiful, wonderful and immortal. Those qualities couldn't be reconciled with anything in my young life, that would result in such a reward.

There was Alice's blatantly high regard for me. She took me under her wing before we even knew each other. There's no battling Alice's visions, but I doubt I could have accepted friendship between us as easily as she did.

Another thing which, though explained in detail, still continued to baffle me was Rosalie's resentment. I could comprehend that with the way her immortality had begun, I represented everything she wished she could undo about it. Still, relating to her feelings had never been something I was able to do.

Now,...there was my sudden secret day with Emmett.

I ran around the house, around Emmett, and acted as if nothing had happened. I was a little more reserved around him, and I'd noticed Emmett tended to avoid focusing on me as he had before. Edward seemed to be entirely unaware that anything had changed.

Rosalie, on the other hand, was watching him very carefully. Jasper had taken to watching us both, and occasionally his face would shoot up into a wicked grin. Rosalie was keeping a strict eye on Emmett one day, when Jasper's interest strayed to Emmett. She caught one of his grins.

"Jasper, you look as though you've watched a cat eat a canary...and enjoyed it!" Jasper's face went slack immediately when Rosalie said his name. He shot a quick look at Emmett, then looked back at Rosalie.

"Oh, well I just...I was remembering the other day when Emmett beat Edward to a deer he was tracking. Edward wasn't happy about it." Jasper covered. Rosalie winced her eyes at him, and her skepticism was fairly clear.

Sometime after that day, as I sat on the porch fiddling with my photo album, Alice stepped out and sat next to me. As she handed me the various pictures my meddling had displaced, she took a deep breath.

"Bella, you're going to want to be very careful for awhile. I've been seeing things and you could be faced with some very dangerous situations in the near future."

She was looking at a photo of me, Emmet and Jasper. We were in Carlisle's office, and they were laughing hysterically as they helped me out of one of Carlisle's file drawers. I had just backed up and fallen into it at the moment the photo was taken. I would have been furious with anyone else for capturing that shot, but I knew of few people who could find fault with Edward's father.

"Did you have a vision about the Volturi or something?" I asked hopefully.

Alice's gave me a warning look and said, "I think you know I've seen much more domestic issues than that. Just be careful, Bella. There's a lot of volatility in the visions I've been getting lately. I'd avoid any dangerous circumstances if I were you."

And with those few, vague words of warning, Alice stood up and walked back inside.

I wanted to go somewhere safe, somewhere happy. I decided to go to Edward's meadow, our meadow.

Tossing my photos and album across the seat, I climbed into my truck. As I pulled away, I could see Alice through the window. Her look was one I'd seen many times before. Though she plainly stood there behind the window, she was far away. I didn't pause to do more than notice her expression, I backed up, threw the truck into drive and made my way down the driveway as fast as I dared.

I reached the road in record time...for me. I followed the highway hearing Edward's directions in my head as I drove. Edward. I missed him very much. He had gone to visit the other family. I had my problems with his current proximity to Tanya, but I couldn't very well say anything to him. If I did, I'd come out sounding like an idiot. I'd internally seethed, but given him a loving goodbye. Carlisle asked him to accompany him, and I wouldn't go against Carlisle's wishes anymore than Edward would.

I drove by memory and arrived sooner than I'd expected. I carefully followed the path I was now familiar with out to the meadow. When I reached it, carrying my album by my side, I set all my photos and memorabilia around me and began working, it was mid morning and I had plenty of daylight left to sort through them.

The sun rose, and the day waned, and finally I looked up from my work to find I'd whiled an entire day away. I stood up, stretching out my legs which had been folded beneath me in damp grass for far too long. After several comforting pops from my back as I worked it out, I reached down to grab my album. It was finally worked to my satisfaction, so I headed back towards my truck.

I slipped and skidded my way through the forest heading one direction, then the other, still feeling a mild anxiety that I might remember the wrong landmark, or pass something crucial and end up lost in the green wilderness surrounding me.

Exhaling a deep breath of air I hadn't realized I was holding, I finally stepped out of the line of trees to the end of the road where my wonderful truck was parked. It was like coming home, seeing it sitting there on the road waiting for me. Smiling hello I went over to it and creaked open the door, again tossed my album across the seat and climbed in. I put the key in, turned it, and was met with a very disappointing click. Moaning I tried several more times, something my mind said was useless, but which I had to try anyway.

I leaned forward and put my head against the steering wheel. I had a shiny new cell phone in the glove compartment which Edward had given me, but I really had no interest in using it. I tried so hard to avoid it, feeling like every gift he gave me was another coin on Edward's side of the scale. The balance of that scale was deeply out of proportion.

I groaned again, and then leaned over to the glove to get the phone.

"Need some help?"

I screamed, blushed, and then was instantly embarrassed. So naturally, I was furious.

"Jeez Emmett! You can't just pop out of nowhere like that. Are you trying to give me a...what the heck are you doing out here?!" I glared at him suspiciously. "Did you have anything to do with the fact that my truck won't start?"

Emmett is pretty good at giving looks of mock indignation. He showed me one then. "I didn't touch your truck."

"That didn't answer my question." I replied angrily.

"Bella, I know you don't like to hear it, but your truck is old. It can't handle a lot," his eyes flicked upward. "Especially not leaving the light on for....how long have you been out here, anyway?"

I followed Emmett's line of sight and sure enough, my overhead light was flicked to the on position. There wasn't even the hint of a glow left.

"Fantastic! Perfect! All day...great!" I reached over and began picking up my scattered things.

"So what are you going to do?" Emmett asked, a little too innocently, in my opinion.

"I guess I'll call for some help." I snapped.

"Nah, you don't have to do that, Bella. I'll run you back to the house, and then we can get someone up here to jump the truck."

"Emmett, I don't think...." I stopped as it struck me that this was probably the least embarrassing option. Calling for help held the ugly possibility of Charlie showing up. I groaned once more in annoyance, and then nodded. "Ok, fine. I guess that's probably the best thing to do."

"Wow, Bells, I'm not sure I can handle so much gratitude."

Flustered with trying to figure out what I could manage carrying on his back without too much difficulty, it took a moment for what he was saying to sink in. Once it did, remorse made itself known.

"I'm sorry Emmett, of course I'm grateful for your offer. I'm just annoyed I did something so stupid."

"No problem Bells. C'mon, we'll get you home quickly."

As he turned around for me to climb onto his back, I suddenly became very conscious of the fact that Emmett was in a tank. "Don't you have a sweatshirt or something with you?"

He grinned, "I don't usually pack a change of clothes for hunting, Bella."

I gave one "Hmmph" and climbed onto his back, I could see the mark from the bear claw. It had healed, but I knew where it had been, so it was easy for me to find it.

"How has that healed?" I asked by way of starting conversation. Being on Emmett's back made me feel slightly uncomfortable. I thought chatting might make me feel less...awkward.

Looking over his shoulder as he began running, Emmett said, "What? Oh,...that? It's great, good job by the way."

Ugh, I went to the one subject I should have avoided, that day. "Oh, yeah, thanks. Uh..." I struggled, trying to come up with something else to talk about. Unfortunately, Emmett appeared to like the current topic.

I could see his cheeks rise up in a grin, "Especially the oil massage. That was great!"

Oh no, please come up with another subject, I willed myself, but nothing came and Emmett continued.

"I can't remember the last time anything felt that good." he said, grinning mischievously again. "Your warm hands," he reached up with his hand and covered mine, which were clasped just below his neck, holding on. "and the hot oil...." he moaned. "How'd you ever come up with that idea? It was amazing!" he dropped his hand and cupped it back around my leg again. "In fact..."

He stopped and using his hands, slowly dropped me down to the ground, then turned around and stood face to face with me. His voice took on that same strange tone it had that day, now so long past.

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about it." he said softly. "Could you, would you give me another hot oil treatment one of these days?" Emmett grinned a little at our inside joke.

His face fell into the bewildered tender look I'd seen once before. He reached down and took my hand and lifting his tank just a little, placed it on his stomach. He closed his eyes and hummed slightly as our skin connected. My mind was a swirl of memories from the last time I'd been this close to his body. Hidden under his clothes, all the chiseled details of Emmett's defined body came back to my mind.

"Still so hot." he whispered, as he opened his eyes and looked into mine. With the hand which had been holding his tank, he reached out and placed his hand on my cheek, he ran it down my throat and tightening his grip ever so slightly, he pulled me forward as he leaned his head down.

His first kiss was gentle and sweet, a peck. He kissed my top lip, then bottom lip. He released my hand and used his to reach around my back and pulled me against him. He kissed me hard then, a little roughly. He lifted me up, and pulled me harder against him.

I began burning then, somehow I nearly felt like I was on fire. I reached around Emmett's head and pulled us both deeper into the kiss. He began walking backwards and I felt the rough surface of a tree trunk against my back. He pressed me against the tree with his body, pushing especially hard where I burned most. I felt his fists clenched up in the material of my jeans and suddenly he wasn't close enough.

We slid together down the trunk, I could feel the scratching my back slightly through my shirt and didn't care. I found myself straddled on top of Emmett kissing him. My pants were still clenched tightly in his huge hands, he held me against him as he lifted me bodily up in the air with his thrusts. I sat up, enjoying the lack of space below, and Emmett sat up and pulled me into another kiss.

His hands slithered away from my jeans and wrapped around my back. He was squeezing me nearly to the point of breathlessness and I was just trying to pull away from our kiss to say something, when I felt a cold finger pull one shoulder of my top down over my upper arm. It nearly escaped my notice, but the set of lips kissing my bared shoulder next did not. My eyes flew open and I jumped to my left as I looked over my right shoulder to see the grin of mischief which had been haunting Emmett and I both recently. Jasper was on his knees, behind and to the right of where I'd been straddling Emmett.

A thousand things went through my mind to say, but Emmett spoke first.

"What the hell, Jasper?" He bellowed.

"Do you remember what I said last time I found you two in a....precarious situation?"

I wasn't sure if Emmett remembered, but Jasper's words came back to me clearly; "One of two things can happen here, I can join in, and mind you, the possibility does have its tempting merit..."

My eyes widened as I remembered and Jasper nodded in an exaggerated and slow way. "Yes,... you remember, don't you?" I couldn't speak so I just nodded.

I passed on all those lustful passions once before, but I can't do it again."

"You'd better find a way to pass it, my brother. This is not for you." Emmett growled, as he cupped my backside with his hand.

Jasper's face became terrifying, and he growled back, "She's not yours either brother, yet you seem to be taking pretty serious advantage of Edward's absence."

I stood up looking at them both in indignation. "This is not for EITHER of you. I don't know what's going on here, but this has to stop."

I turned around and was stepping away, feeling bewildered and confused when Jasper stopped me with three words.

"It wasn't me."

I turned around and looked at him in a way that demanded explanation. He was obviously waiting for this invitation, which irritated me.

He grinned slightly and said, "I didn't do anything to make you and Emmett feel that way, if that's what you're insinuating."

I realized that was exactly what I'd been insinuating. I slumped slightly as he went on.

"You two have been doing this all on your own, so what IS going on, Bella?"

"I...it...he...I don't know." I finished lamely.

"I think you miss Edward. I also believe you've seen more of Emmett than you ever meant to, and I imagine our proximity is having its affect on you, as well as Edward's inattention." as he said these words he stepped forward and moved to my side.

He took my hand as he said the last words, and lifting it, kissed it softly on the tender center of my palm. He held my hand, and let it fall just slightly as he leaned forward and down to make eye contact with me. I'd dropped my head in confusion. Using one hand, Jasper pulled my chin up. He dropped the hand back to my other, and lifting it again, kissed the underside of my wrist. Jasper reached a hand around my waist and pulled me forward, he pressed his lips gently into the hollow at the base of my neck, then moved up the side of my throat, leaving soft kisses in his wake.

He got to just below my ear, and he carefully, and gently bit my neck slightly. I heard a low, animal growl coming from him and realized that I was mildly scared and excited by the possibility of the danger. He caught my face in his hands and as he reached around my throat with one hand, dropped the other and pulled me hard against him with the other. He kissed me passionately. I heard the sound of shifting weight and felt Emmett press himself against me from behind.

Oh God, I wasn't going to get out of it this time. I could hear Muse in my head, "_...and you will be the death of me._"

Jasper released my lips and dropped his head down to kiss across the exposed skin of my chest, as Emmett pulled my head back by my hair, and turned it so he could kiss me again. The two of them pulled me gently, and slowly down into the grass at our feet, as the sun dropped behind the horizon.

*~*0*~*

**_**A/N: My thanks to all the readers who have reviewed and basically called me out for not giving Jasper his moment. :) Hahaha, I've loved and appreciated EVERY review. Please review once again and help inspire me to write the end to my little trilogy of temptation. **_**


	3. Chapter 3 Twilight Burning

TWILIGHT BURNING

I was blinded.

I knew there were tall shoots of wild plant life surrounding me, but I couldn't see it. A fortunate break in the clouds had revealed the moon, and the single silver beam had serendipitously sought out our place in the field. I was surrounded by the opulence of the magnificent men beside me. Jasper, in all his fair-haired, brilliance. Emmett a darker quality stone, but still just as luminescent as the most precious gem.

I was also beyond pleasure. Hands covered me, skin, lips...

My feeling of satisfaction was so deep, so elemental, I couldn't speak. I couldn't protest. Most disturbingly, I found I couldn't leave. I could only remain there, moving as I was asked to.

A tender pressure against my wrist made me lift my arm as cool fingers slid up beneath it, towards my shoulder joint. It said without words, "Yes, your arm, all the way up please."

I felt everything as though something had intensified my sensitivity to sensation. I could feel stray strands of Jasper's hair tickling my throat, at the same time I felt his lips on my cheek.

I could also feel Emmett's hand sliding from as far down my legs as he could reach comfortably, up over the rise of my hip. As I lay on my side, he moved his hand across the slight downward curve of my waist. I felt the slight tightening of his gentle fingers as they moved over my breast. I could also feel the slight movements of Emmett's feet, because he kept them curled beneath my own.

Jasper asked it of me first, he didn't insist, he made it my choice. Both Jasper and Emmett touched me in ways which made me feel incapable of saying no. It was an unusually warm evening, and their coolness on either side of me was like being held inside a pocket. In that pocket I was theirs.

I felt the slight tug and the release of my skin as my clothes were removed. I was deeply aware of the removal of theirs also. I was amazed by these two men who wanted me. There were soft, kisses, and as Jasper's hands took me, I exhaled in pleasure. Emmett held my hip as Jasper entered me. He braced against my body as Jasper's hips thrust against me.

Jasper reached a hand up and held my neck up in such a way as to keep our eyes locked every moment he was inside me. When he reached his release, his eyes slowly drew shut, and he leaned into me. His lips claimed me in a specific way. The kiss grew insistent. Jasper's hand slid lovingly across my front as Emmett's made trails down my back.

Emmett growled softly, as I felt his lips pulled from my neck. Jasper whispered a soft apology and I was turned, ever so gently, onto my other side.

Emmett was in no way cruel, or rough, but he was demanding. He was also not cautious in his approach. Like speech, love making is a conversation between two - or in this case - three, bodies. My conversation with Jasper had been kind, sweet, considerate. With Emmett, there was no small talk, no time for minced words, only a direct conversation about the bare facts.

Emmett swiftly took me. As Emmett had before, Jasper braced me from behind. He helped protect me from the scrapes and bruises which would normally have resulted from the way Emmett battered into me. Unlike Jasper, Emmett never stopped kissing me, his kisses were the smile on his face during conversation. He grinned throughout our coupling, teasing and taunting me with his body every bit as much as he baited me when we spoke. He groaned as he finished, and pulled me tight against him, as if afraid to let me go. I began to feel crushed, suffocated even, when I felt Jasper's hand move slightly to touch Emmett's arm.

"Remember when Esme had to remind you not to crush the flowers, brother?"

Emmett's eyes looked over my head at Jasper with bewilderment, I felt Jasper's body move slightly as he nodded, I assumed indicating he was referring to me. Emmett jerked slightly and exclaimed "Oh!" then he released me.

He pulled his body back, as he pushed me away from to look into my face. "Sorry Bells, are you okay?"

Still unsure if I could speak, I nodded. Emmett scooted down and laid his head gently and cautiously against my chest.

After a few moments he made a sound that I could only describe as purring. Then he reached over me and slapped Jasper. "Listen. It's so strong! It's beating so fast, so persistently."

Jasper moved his head against my back, and pressed his ear against it. He chuckled, "Perhaps it's protesting against what our proximity could mean for it. It's telling us with its relententless pounding, "You will not stop me, I'll continue to beat."

As though answering Jasper's statement, my heart rate increased.

Emmett scoffed, "Nah...she's just excited cause she knows we're about to do that again."

Jasper growled again, "Emmett, she's breakable. It's her choice, we can't force it on her." He leaned up so that his face was in a level place with mine, "Are you okay, Bella? How are you feeling?"

I answered before I was really even aware I was ready, in fact, it was nearly a yell, "I feel blissfull." Both Jasper and Emmett laughed at my energetic exclamation.

We continued into the deeper hours of the night, and at one point Jasper said he needed to get back. Emmett was fine. I, however, was completely spent. I couldn't have done anything else if I'd wanted to.

He lay there, holding me against him. The wind had picked up and so he'd reluctantly allowed me to get dressed. Emmett put his jeans back on, but kept his shirt off. We lay there side by side, I had my head on Emmett's arm.

"Bells, when you gave me the hot oil treatment, do you think you were looking for this?" He turned his head towards me, and looked at me in a purely Emmett way. "You wanted me, didn't you?" he said with a taunting grin. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Not consciously, Emmett."

"Ah...c'mon Bells, you did."

"I didn't say I didn't, Emmett, I just said it wasn't a conscious thing."

He frowned boyishly, "What about Jasper."

"No! Never, that was a complete surprise."

He grinned hugely and focused back up toward the sky. "I'll bet if you'd met me first, and I hadn't been with Rose, you'd have gone for me before Edward."

I smiled at his arrogance, if I'd loved him less, I'd have been annoyed. "I'm afraid not. Edward is everything I've ever wanted. I just didn't know it before I met him. Once I did, there wasn't any other option."

He crooked an eyebrow and looked at me skeptically.

I laughed at him again, "Y-ye-es Emmett, I know it seems questionable after tonight, but remember, I didn't come looking for this, in fact I was trying to get away from the family today. That's why I came out here."

"Why did you want to get away from the family?"

He looked hurt, and I began to speak in a soothing tone. I noticed he'd stiffened all the muscles in his body, but assumed it was because of what I'd said. "Well, things with the family have been strange since Edward's been gone, and then Alice...." as soon as I said her name, I realized that this night, the things which had happened were exactly what Alice had been warning me about. I sat upright. "Oh God,....Alice!"

A familiar voice off to my left spoke in a surprised tone, "What about the little freak?"

Emmett snarled, "Who are YOU calling freak, dog?"

Jacob wrinkled his nose, "Ew...eau de bloodsucker! I thought it was just Bella who had your scent stuck to her. What the hell are you doing out here?"

"Doesn't really concern you, does it?"

"It might concern Edward, I think." Jacob answered menacingly.

"Are you threatening me, Mutt?" Emmett growled, as he stood up.

Jacob's body began to tremble, as two sets of eyes stepped out of the treeline behind him.

They weren't eye-level, and they weren't human...at least not at the moment.

I jumped up beside Emmett. "Jake, no. It's okay...we were just leaving.

Another voice answered as Jake's mouth opened. A female one, it drew everyone's attention. "You're really going to have to start listening to me, Bella. Come on." she held her hand out. The other one was holding one of Jasper's hands. He was quiet, and very subdued.

I looked at Jacob, who had stopped trembling, as soon as he'd registered shock from the sound of Alice's voice.

He was calm, but still glaring at us.

"I'm going to go Jake, it's really ok. I'll see you later."

He called out as we stepped over, and into the tree line, "Yes, you will."

Alice looked at me after we were a good distance into the forest, "Dangerous circumstances, Bella. Do you remember? I said 'dangerous circumstances' specifically."

"I remember Alice, I just didn't realize exactly what you meant" She snorted a little, and faced forward again. "Edward and Carlisle are on their way home. You need to get back & get yourself..." she cast a piercing look at me, "cleaned up.

I blushed hotly. I felt it go the length of my body. I saw Jasper stiffen his shoulders, and Emmett hunched slightly, but neither said a word.

When we reached the house, we all went in separate directions, I went straight to the shower and climbed in with my clothes. I figured I'd explain it to Edward later, but I wanted to minimize the scents of both Jasper and Emmett on me, to acceptable levels.

I finished my shower, hung my clothes over the top of the door, and changed into an outfit which magically appeared on the bed, an ornate little sun dress with cap sleeves. There were even fresh undergarments, each with the tags on them, I assumed Alice was showing me they'd never been worn.

Once I was dressed, I stood at the window and saw Carlisle's car pull up. For a moment I wasn't sure how to respond. I just sat there, pondering.

They didn't know I could hear them, but as I stood in Edward's window, I could hear Jasper and Emmett in the next room. Everyone else was downstairs in the garage thankfully, bringing up Carlisle's things from the car.

"Don't play innocent Jasper, I could smell you all over Bella's truck that day."

There was no denial, no argument.

A moment later I heard Emmett growl, "I hate when you grin that way."

- The End -


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